CMS rural billing rate

[spimx]

My department always transports more than 30 min. Our area is very dense and wealthy. I worked at another service that was similar or shorter transport but does bill as rural EMS.

How do you get classified as rural EMS and is it even a thing you can apply for with CMS?

 

[akflightmedic]

I know this sounds super crazy....buuuuut, I googled "can rural EMS bill CMS"....and within a fraction of a second, I had this link as my first option to explore!!! Freaking AMAZING!!!

If you manage to find the strength and time to scroll about halfway down, you will see urban rates and rural rates. And IF you really read....what requirements define somewhere as rural are listed too! Did you know there is even a "super rural" classification??

Ambulance Fee Schedule Public Use Files | CMS

These AFS Public Use Files (PUFs) are for informational purposes only. All official fee schedule files that are used to process Medicare claims are maintained by the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and could vary slightly from the amounts referenced in these files. Expand a menu to...

www.cms.gov

 

[spimx]

And IF you really read....what requirements define somewhere as rural are listed too!

I think it just says by zip code and population density but I don't know how they choose what zip code is rural and what is not?

I dont care about the formula to find out rural vs super rural. One is worth more money for sure.

They dont have a formula for determining a rural zip code as far as I can tell. I had too many jagerbombs in college to understand all those acronyms